Waste Not, Want Not

My Engage post for the week:

Seven years ago, my family and I went to Africa for the first time, spending most of our hours with the Maasai in Kenya. At the end of a lovely day together, they killed a goat in our honor. One minute a cute little guy was roped to a post, and the next thing we knew, they had slit its neck.For the first time in her life our daughter, then twelve years old, realized that “pork” is meat from a pig, “beef” is meat from a cow, and calling something “chicken” means it is just that—literally, the corpse of a chicken. For the next nine months, she was a vegetarian. (I think we can credit bacon with her conversation back to being a carnivore.)Something that amazed me that night was that not one part of that animal went to waste. The greatest delicacy, in the eyes of the Maasai warriors, was the kidneys. The young men got those. The animal's fur, its teeth, its bones—everything had a purpose. Even the eyeballs went to feed the dogs that waited patiently for their treasure. No. Waste.I think of that evening sometimes when I discover my lettuce has spoiled before I’ve finished using it. Or a tomato in my fridge grows mold, having been sliced but re-stored as a post-grill leftover. We used to have a joke in our house that a refrigerator is “the transition storage space from which food goes from fresh to spoiled before it can be discarded.” Some joke. It’s not so funny any more.I should know better than to waste. Back when my father was in robust health, he would go into the fields in Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley where picking machines had left behind some squat, sweet, yellow onions—those mild-flavored beauties with parchment-like skins. The picking machine worked in circles, so it missed the corners of the field. And having grown up during the Great Depression, Dad considered it a sin to let perfectly good produce rot. He was an engineer with a decent retirement, but even into his early nineties, he was hauling off day-old bread from his supermarket and delivering it to his local food pantry. He even recruited a retired, high-ranking military officer to help him carry the crates of bread, cakes, and donuts to feed the poor.According to National Geographic, every year about 2.9 trillion tons of food—about 1/3 of all the food produced on the planet—never gets consumed. Fruits and veggies spoil. Stuff gets bruised. People leave leftovers in the fridge. Restaurants throw out unused slabs of butter, uneaten rolls, and the remains of too-large portions in massive dumpsters. Indeed, Americans toss out 30 to 40 percent of our food, while 800 million people suffer from hunger.Have you ever noticed that after our Lord fed a hungry crowd, and “they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted’” (John 6:12). That’s kind of a timeless principle, don’t you think? Good stewardship.As it turns out, one person can actually make a difference. So here are some suggestions:

• Buy ugly veggies. Lots get passed over because they look funky. But they’re perfectly good nutritionally. The potato that looks like it has Mickey Mouse’s ears—same food value as a perfect oval. Same with the carrot that has two heads or the oblong kiwi fruit and the malformed tomato. Your supermarket might not even carry these. So head to the farmer’s market.

• To make your French toast, croutons, and filler for meatloaf use day-old or even week-old bread. You’ll never notice the taste difference.

• Turn down that side dish or roll with butter that comes with your order—the parts you know you won’t eat.

• Take home uneaten food from restaurants in to-go boxes.

• Freeze leftovers.

• Make a special effort to avoid wasting food such as meat that requires lots of water in the farm-to-table process.

• Make menus and use one of the many apps available for telling you what you have in the fridge with a clock ticking on it.

• Keep a container in the freezer for adding leftover veggies. When it gets full, make vegetable soup or vegetable-beef soup in the crockpot.

• Watch a documentary about food waste.

• Share your own ideas in the comments section below. We're in this together.

Some Little-Known Good News about Bad News

The child mortality rate in African countries is decreasing at record rates. The top rates of decline are faster than anywhere else seen in the world for at least the last 30 years, thanks to better health care and cleaner environments.

The World Bank's 2013 annual report indicates that economic output in sub-Saharan Africa increased by an estimated 4.7 percent. Poverty has declined, with the share of people of living on less than $1.25 a day falling from 58 percent in 1996 to about 46 percent in 2010.  The World Bank reports that higher commodities, increasing investment and a pickup in world economy will help economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa significantly outpace the global average over the next three years. And investment, which first outpaced aid in 2006, now doubles aid.

Today, 18,000 children under age 5 die each day from hunger and preventable disease. As heartbreaking as that number is, it's down 50 percent from where it was 20 years ago. We're also seeing radical progress against malaria, measles, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. And we've nearly eradicated polio. Waterborne diseases are dropping. We're seeing incredible progress in pretty much every indictor we look at.

Source: Compassion International

Sanctity of Life Sunday

Today is the day the Christian community sets aside to contemplate the sanctity of human life and what we can do to defend the powerless whose human dignity is being violated. The conversation includes beginning-of-life issues such as abortion (including gendercide), embryonic stem cell research, and in vitro fertilization. It includes nuclear bombs, use of arms, active euthanasia, war, the disposability of girls in China, and widows who are expected to commit suicide upon the deaths of their husbands. 

Moving beyond sanctity of life itself, we also consider that"human dignity" is grounded in Genesis 1. That has ramificationsfor...

Sex trafficking

Refusal of hydrating tubes

Human slavery

Rape culture

POW standards

Immigration policy

Homelessness

Hunger

Poverty

Proverbs 31:8–9 (NET)

Open your mouth on behalf of those unable to speak,

for the legal rights of all the dying.

Open your mouth, judge in righteousness,

and plead the cause of the poor and needy. 

World Food Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow people across the world from 150 countries will celebrate World Food Day, and the National Association of Evangelicals is asking its members to join by sharing a meal with family and friends and discussing poverty issues.

“In America, we have been blessed with abundance. Most of us worry more about eating too much than whether we will have anything to eat at all,” NAE President Leith Anderson said. “But every day, nearly one billion of God’s children around the world face hunger and starvation as a result of failing crops, loss of farmland, and extreme poverty.”

The NAE created several resources for participating members including a discussion guide, a placemat, bulletin inserts, a children’s lesson and videos that could be shown at church or before a meal. The materials are available at www.nae.net/worldfoodday.

World Food Day was established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Member Countries at the Organization’s 20th General Conference in November 1945. Its primary purpose is to raise awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger.

“World Food Day is a chance to reflect on what God has given and prayerfully consider how to address the underlying causes of food scarcity around the world. We hope many evangelicals will set aside a meal on October 16 for this purpose,” Anderson said.

Evangelicals and Political Involvement: A New Survey

Evangelical engagement in U.S. politics has ebbed and flowed through the years, especially rising to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s with the growing concern about protecting human life and strengthening families.  Since then, the evangelical agenda has broadened, and evangelical engagement in social justice issues has blossomed. But with disillusionment in the political process on the increase, what will become of evangelical engagement in the future?

While many acknowledged current frustrations, most evangelical leaders expect the level of political engagement among evangelicals to increase, according to the May Evangelical Leaders Survey. The poll asked, “What do you expect the level of political engagement among evangelicals will be in the next 10 years?” While 18 percent said political engagement among evangelicals will go down and 25 percent said it will stay the same, 57 percent believe that evangelicals will be more engaged in politics in 10 years than they are today.

“Evangelicals aren’t going away. The issues that motivated us to engage in politics in the past will keep and inspire engagement in the future,” said Leith Anderson, President of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).

Marriage, sanctity of life, poverty and religious freedom top the list of issues that evangelical leaders say will elicit increased responsiveness in the political arena. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent of The Wesleyan Church, predicted that issues of religious freedom, in particular, will become more alarming, and she prays that evangelicals will “handle these times with grace, truth and love.”

The Evangelical Leaders Survey is a monthly poll of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals. They include the CEOs of denominations and representatives of a broad array of evangelical organizations including missions, universities, publishers and churches.

Abercrombie and Fitch Gets Free Brand Adjustment

What do you think?

World Food Day

Today is World Food Day. I encourage you to make a contribution to and/or volunteer hours for your favorite charity that is reaching the hungry.

The Dreams of Children

EFCA Magazine asked kids in developing countries what they'd do with $1. Want to know what they said they'd do? (Hint: They didn't say "rent a video.") Check out their answers here.

Kristof on Hope for Fighting Poverty

...in Today’s New York Times:

There's hope. Antipoverty work saves around 32,000 children’s lives each day. The number of children who died in 1960: about 20 million; the number dying now, about 8 million a year. That’s one life saved every three seconds.

Literacy rates and school attendance are rising sharply in Africa. More than three-quarters of African youngsters are now enrolled in primary school, up from 58 percent in 1999.

Have you seen the popular “Girl Effect” video on YouTube?

Well, this week its successor was released.

Schools have a better record of fighting terrorism than missiles do and wobbly governments can be buttressed not just with helicopter gunships but also with school lunch programs (at 25 cents per kid per day).

International security is where the money is, but fighting poverty is where the success is.

Feeling Poor?

How does your annual income compare with that of the rest of the world? By far most Americans fall in the top ten percent. How do you compare? Find out by checking out the global rich list. Click here.

Rethinking Orphan Care

When possible, it appears that leaving an orphaned child in the impoverished home of a relative and providing that grown-up with funds is better and less costly than placing that child in an orphanage. We still need orphanages, but only as a last resort. For more, go here.

Socialism Smocialism

I have a friend at church whose daughter has cancer. Recently that daughter was informed of impending layoffs. If she loses her job, she loses her insurance. She has a couple years paying outrageous premiums with COBRA—difficult to do if you don’t have a job. And after two years, too bad.

Short of a miracle, if she doesn’t get medical care… I don’t need to fill in the blanks for you, do I?

So the current healthcare system is broken. Can we all agree on that? When my husband lost his job last year, the COBRA premium estimate they gave us for our family of three was $2,000/month. So we’re talking $24,000/year while unemployed. Yarright. When we looked for private insurance, he and my daughter could not even find someone to cover them. And we all consider ourselves in generally good health!

Last year a friend died of cancer, but not before all his friends got together and tried to help pay for experimental meds that his insurance wouldn’t cover. Is anyone adding to the cost of our current system the dollars spent helping our friends?

I’ve heard a lot of complaints about socialized healthcare. And I agree that our government is imperfect. The postal system comes to mind. Still, why am I not also hearing the same fears about socialized libraries, socialized schools, socialized military, socialized Medicaid, socialized Medicare, the socialized highway administration, and socialized fire departments?

I heard someone on CNN yesterday say if someone needs healthcare, he or she needs to go out and get a job to have coverage and work “like the rest of us.” I wonder if that person is part ostrich. It’s really tough to get a job a) in this economy and b) when you’re sick. Not in that order. And our companies are cutting back on benefits while not raising wages.

This is a social-justice issue. No, it is not a human right to have healthcare. BUT in a country as rich as ours, it ought to be an American right. The Bible describes poverty as having nothing to change into when you wash your clothes, and having to earn money before you can buy your next meal. Those of us who have one extra can of tuna or peanut butter and a change of clothes fit this description of “wealthy.” And that’s still true worldwide today. Americans, let’s face it, poor as we may feel right now, are flat-out rich.

Today I received a brochure from the Christian Medical Association stating their organization’s belief in the following:

Healthcare must be…

. Affordable

. Accessible

. Quality-focused

. Prevention-oriented

. Responsible

. Just and fair

. Ethical

I could not agree more. My faith puts a high premium on caring for the poor. And I have a selfish reason for feeling this way, too. I want my friend's daughter to live.

You Making a Diff, Part II

What can one person do to fight worldwide hunger?

A lot. A whole lot.

. Pray. And give thanks that your needs are met.

. Every home or group can sponsor at least one child in the developing world. My friend Celestin was such a child, supported on $6/month by a poor widow. Today he is Dr. Musukera, called in to help governments such as Sudan in bringing reconciliation among warring peoples. Pretty good investment, I'd say. Compassion International. World Vision. Food for the Hungry. Sponsorship organizations abound. Find your favorite and commit. Write and love on your child regularly.

. Support projects like my hubby's. He's helping the hungry and displaced return home following civil unrest in Kenya. It costs $580 to build a single-family dwelling. He has reservations to return to Kenya in June, and so far he has enough funds raised to build ten homes. Maybe your Sunday School class, Little League group, Scout troop, or rooftop karaoke group would like to build someone a home?

Donate to your local food bank—that’s a help, too. Food banks are straining to meet the demand. My dad picks up day-old bread from the grocery store and takes it where it’s needed.

Another way, a major way, is to write a letter or call your representative. This is a biggie. As the Gates Foundation’s spokesperson once noted, most of us are willing to give our time and our money, but we don’t give our voices. And voice is key.

Think about it… Food banks get most of their donations not from you or me but from food-processing companies. And those companies donate because they get tax breaks. Tax breaks happen because somebody asks for them.

Farmers can eke out more produce per acre when scientists find ways to grow cheaper, drought-resistant food. Incentives for research to create such foods come from government incentives to improve the agricultural infrastructure.

Consider gathering your family or group to write an offering of letters. View a sample here.

Or call. The same link provides instructions on what to say. You don’t have to be up on legislation to use your voice. Just tell your representatives hunger matters to you. Wednesday is a key day this week.

You can make more of a difference than you might think. Seriously.

AIDS: Lend a Hand

The one who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and the LORD will reward that person for it. –Proverbs 19:17

Meet Agnes Kiambi. She’s twenty-three and she lost her mother three years ago to AIDS. Agnes came from a single-parent family.

A women’s group (WOFAK: Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya) knew her mother, so they sponsored Agnes for hairdressing and beauty training. One of the best students, Agnes received a job offer at the Blue Yellow Hair Salon in Hurlingham. Agnes started saving, and by the time she left her job to look after her HIV-positive younger sister, Agnes had saved $357. With these savings, she bought hair-relaxing chemicals, rollers, a blow dryer, towels and some chairs. She then rented a shop from where she has been operating.

With her income, Agnes feeds, educates and buys medicine for her sister.

Agnes's mother's relatives disowned Agnes and her eight siblings (four brothers and four sisters) after they learned the mother had HIV. So after burying her mother, Agnes took full responsibility for raising her siblings.

Agnes faces stiff competition from fully equipped neighboring salons. Some clients have left. So she's doing after-sales services, such as offering a free hair wash, to retain her clients. She fears they will continue to leave, leaving her with no income. All Agnes needs is a loan of $625 to purchase a dryer, steamer, blow dryer, four chairs, training dummy and a 14-inch television set.
With this additional equipment, Agnes can compete in the marketplace and win back her clients. She will also be able to give her customers quick and efficient service and in turn increase her income.

In addition, Agnes has trained two orphaned girls in hairdressing. She wants to help them avoid the suffering she experienced.

After buying the equipment, Agnes plans to employ two more people. This translates to higher income. Agnes intends to repay the loan in 8–15 months.

That’s where kiva comes in. I read about it in Nicholas Kristof’s NY Times column. Kiva is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides loans to small-business owners like Agnes, who want to make a living for themselves but just need a little kindness. Agnes is not asking for a handout. And she's willing to work hard. With twenty-five bucks, I just added Agnes and her shop to my list of investments. I'd love for you to join with me to help her. Again, nobody's asking for donations. You'll get your money back.

Orphans. Widows. The poor. The sick. God has something to say about our response to these. Admittedly, I'm not doing much here. But I do know we can do more than pray and give, important as these are. We can also lend...to the LORD.